Legislating Equity: A Qualitative Policy Analysis Of Healthcare Access And Health Literacy In Medically Underserved Communities In New Jersey, Korlu Y. Howard

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Access to healthcare has always been a major policy challenge in the United States and contributes to ongoing disparities. Reform efforts have focused on expanding insurance coverage, yet less attention has been focused on whether the healthcare system is navigable. This study examines three New Jersey statutes using Kingdon’s Multiple Streams Framework and the Health Equity Framework. The purpose of this examination is to better understand how statutory language shapes healthcare access. The findings show that access is primarily structured through coverage requirements, procedural protections, and established legal rights. At the same time, these systems often involve added complexity, requiring …

Arts Enriched Head Start Preschool And School Readiness: Are Benefits Accentuated For Children Facing Greater Economic Hardship?, Isabella Capera

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Children growing up in impoverished and low-income households face opportunity gaps that limit their school readiness (Blair & Raver, 2015). Head Start preschool, which serves families facing economic hardship, has been demonstrated to reduce these gaps and enhance school readiness. Further, multiple studies have suggested that arts enriched Head Start may offer particular benefits (e.g., Brown et al., 2010, 2018; Lobo & Winsler, 2008). Yet research to date is limited and has not examined whether the benefits of arts enriched preschool may be uniquely helpful for children facing the greatest economic risk. The present study examines growth in school readiness …

Looking Beyond Minimalist Pedagogies: Rhetorical Listening As A Framework For Ethical Collaboration And Student Empowerment In The Writing Center, Abby M. Samella

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Since its establishment, the Writing Center has strived to solidify its institutional presence as a space of student-centered pedagogy, minimalist directive approaches, and collaborative learning. However, students frequently perceive Writing Centers as the polar opposite of collaboration, frequently seeking out this support for a transactional, ‘remedial’ fix to their writing product. As Writing Centers grapple with this tension that threatens their process-driven pedagogies, scholars recognize a gap in Literature regarding collaborative approaches that empower the student through the implementation of rhetorical listening. Using the foundational framework of Rhetorical Listening as a strategy to reassert the collaborative identity of the Center …

Teaching For Meaning: Life, Death, Self And Purpose, Stephen Diromualdo

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Teaching for Meaning is fundamentally a paper about the need for a philosophical shift in current educational goals. The current institution of public education relies on “job training skills” and ideas of “global competitiveness” as its most important outcomes. This thesis argues that not only are these goals insufficient but actually detrimental to human development. The thesis seeks a method to shift to a more humanistic approach of education through the inclusion of several potential methods. Those methods include the implementation of democratic schooling, youth participatory action research and death studies.  In order to establish those methods the thesis the …

Daily Routines And Activities In Association With Emotion Regulation For Children Facing Economic Hardship And The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Shanelle L. Stovall, Eleanor D. Brown

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

This study examined family routines and child emotion regulation across pre-pandemic and pandemic/post-pandemic periods among families facing economic hardship. Participants were 187 children enrolled in Head Start preschools near the East Coast of the United States, their caregivers, and teachers. Of these families, 131 participated during the 2015–2016 through 2018–2019 pre-pandemic school years, and 56 participated during the 2019–2020 through 2022 2023 pandemic/post-pandemic school years. Caregivers completed a demographic interview and 10 daily interviews across two weeks assessing family routines. Teachers completed a validated measure of child emotion regulation. MANCOVAs examined cohort differences in routines and emotion regulation. Hierarchical regressions …

The Role Of Growth Mindset As A Mitigating Factor On Teacher Burnout In The Secondary Math Classroom, Grant Butler

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

This mixed methods sequential explanatory study examined how secondary mathematics teachers’ mindsets relate to burnout tendencies, and how schools can support staff mindset to prevent burnout. Using a two-phase design, Phase 1 gathered survey data from 94 secondary math teachers, measuring mindset and burnout with descriptive statistics, correlations, chi-square tests, and regression analysis to quantify associations between mindset orientation and burnout risk. Phase 2 employed semi-structured interviews with a subsample of teachers and open and axial coding to explain and contextualize the quantitative patterns. Quantitative analyses revealed that teachers with more fixed mindset tendencies reported significantly higher burnout scores across …

Fit Ideal Internalization And Muscularity-Oriented Disordered Eating Among College Women: Examining Social Comparisons And Body Dissatisfaction As Serial Mediators, Nicole Graumann

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Muscularity-oriented disordered eating (MODE) comprises rigid eating behaviors driven by a desire to be toned and muscular (Cunningham et al., 2021; Murray et al., 2019). While MODE has been widely studied among men, it is increasingly prevalent among women, and it is vital to explore its associated risk factors. In particular, the fit ideal (thin but also toned) is an emerging issue among women’s body image and could be a factor for women engaging in MODE; however, there is limited research exploring this relationship. The present study examined the relationship between the fit ideal internalization and MODE among college women …

A Community Cultural Wealth Approach In Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Second-Generation Black Caribbean American Undergraduate Women Attending U.S. Predominantly White Higher Education Institutions, Arielle Phillips-Law

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

This qualitative phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of second-generation Black Caribbean American women undergraduate students who attend U.S. predominantly white institutions. Black women students from ethnic minorities encounter racism, sexism, and ethnocentrism, all factors that can influence their persistence and completion within U.S. higher education and the economic outcomes post-graduation. Using Community Cultural Wealth as the guiding theoretical framework for this study, I focused on centering the strengths and skills of Black Caribbean women in their navigation of higher education. I used an interpretive phenomenological analysis as the study methodology. Participants included ten second-generation Black Caribbean cisgender women who …

Framing The Gray: A Photovoice Study Of Parents’ Experiences Supporting Elementary Mathematics Learning At Home, Rebekah Ulmer

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

This narrative photovoice study explored how elementary parents understand their role in supporting mathematics at home. The research asked three foundational questions: How do parents of elementary students describe their personal experiences with learning mathematics? How do parents of elementary students describe their experiences with supporting mathematics at home with their children? What factors influence parents' experiences with mathematics? Fourteen parents, eight with experience as educators and six without, participated by sharing photographs in response to five prompts and discussing what those images meant to them. Their stories revealed that, for these families, mathematics isn't neatly divided into “school math” …

Where Joy Lives: Black Students, Faculty, And Staff At Pwis, Chyna Hart

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Matriculating into Predominately White Institutions (PWIs) can be challenging for Black students due to racism. However, Black faculty and staff play an important role in combating these challenges and creating supportive and joyful spaces for these students. Using Narrative Inquiry, this study examined the role that Black faculty and staff played in fostering Black Joy for Black students at Predominately White Institutions (PWIs). Participants were self-identified Black students, faculty, and staff who are 18 years or older and were affiliated with a mid-size four-year PWI in the northeastern region of the United States. The study utilized two data collecting instruments …

Examining The Stories Of Early-Career Student Affairs Professionals And Free Speech Issues On College Campuses, Kimberly C. Farrer

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

This qualitative research study explored the stories of early-career student affairs professionals on their experiences responding to free speech issues on college campuses. Additionally, this studied explored how they were prepared for those responses. This study was important because early-career student affairs professionals are managing free speech issues on college campuses but lack the training and preparation to do this (Duran Leftin & Duran, 2021; Harris & Ray, 2014). This study utilized both authentic leadership theory (Avolio & Gardner, 2005; Gardner et al., 2005; Luthans & Avolio, 2003; May et al., 2003; Northouse, 2025) and Kohlberg’s (1976) theory of moral …

Wellness Participation Of Student-Serving Staff: The Impact On Well-Being And Student Support, Ashley L. Oostveen

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

This study examines the relationship between student-serving staff’s wellness engagement and overall well-being, their job satisfaction, and their perceived support for students. A convergent mixed-methods approach was applied while maintaining a theoretical framework rooted in Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985), integrating the concepts of Hettler’s Six Dimensions of Wellness (1976). Forty-one student-serving staff across universities in a public university system in Pennsylvania participated in this study. A quantitative survey was used to measure overall well-being, wellness engagement, and support to students, while concurrent focus groups were conducted to gather insight on work-life well-being and staff’s perceived support to their …

"They Just Gave Me The Syllabus": A Mixed Methods Study Of Music Therapy Educators' Preferred Pedagogies, Christina Danielle O'Brien

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

In 2022, the workforce analysis of music therapists, the American Music Therapy Association reported that approximately 80% of all board-certified music therapists are white/Caucasian-European (Iwamasa, 2025). However, the AMTA does not determine the origins of race or ethnicity among postsecondary music therapy faculty in the U.S., nor does it assess their potential impact on the expansion of multicultural curricula for preservice professionals. The purpose of this convergent mixed-methods dissertation is to examine the perception of lived experiences as a pedagogical tool to enhance effective teaching practices. Twenty-six postsecondary faculty from the U.S. were recruited. Quantitative data were collected via Qualtrics …

Which Forms Of Work Flexibility Retain Working Mothers: A Moderated Mediation Model Of Flexibility Need, Flexibility Use, And Top Management Support, Jeanine K. Andreassi, Angela R. Grotto, Leanna Lawter, Tuvana Rua, Cynthia A. Thompson

WCBT Faculty Publications

This study investigates the relative impact of utilizing various forms of work flexibility on mothers’ retention in full-time jobs. Drawing from a model of work reentry for new mothers and Human Ecology Theory (HET), we theorize that mothers’ flexibility needs influence retention through flexibility use and that top management support strengthens this process. Using a cross-sectional Qualtrics online survey, we recruited a diverse sample of 213 women across the United States who stayed with or left their full-time jobs after childbirth or adoption. Using relative weights and path analysis, we compared six forms of flexibility. Schedule, career, and leave flexibility …

Pilot Program For Telemental Health Access To Rural Underserved Localities, Traci Brickhouse Jones, Sarah Kott, Oswaldo Moreno, Aneida Winston

GEHLI - 2026 VCUL Team Project Publications

This proposal recommends legislation directing Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to establish a two-year pilot program focused on expanding telemental health access in rural Virginia. The purpose of the pilot is to address persistent behavioral health disparities in areas where residents face major barriers to obtaining timely mental health care.

The legislation is designed to build on existing telehealth infrastructure and aligns with Virginia’s Statewide Telehealth Plan under § 32.1-122.03:1, which already supports broader use of telehealth services across the Commonwealth. By creating a focused pilot first, the state can test implementation strategies before considering broader expansion.

Rest My Case: Sleep Science Should Inform J.D. Program Structures And Licensure Examinations To Enhance Performance, Equity And Well-Being, Laura J. Mott, Paula J. Manning

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

This Article critically examines the legal profession’s longstanding marginalization of sleep and circadian biology and argues that temporal structural norms embedded in legal education and licensure are at odds with established scientific evidence. Drawing on extensive and interdisciplinary research in neuroscience, chronobiology, cognitive psychology, and timekeeping, this Article explores how sleep deprivation and chronotype misalignment with institutional schedules impair attention, memory, emotional regulation, mental and physical health, and decision-making—capacities that are essential to competent, ethical, and sustainable legal practice. Despite robust scientific consensus that sleep quality, quantity, and timing have profound effects on performance and well-being, law schools and licensing …

Hey! System! Leave Them Kids Alone: A Justification Of Minnesota’S ‘Raise The Age’ Law, Violet Butler

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

No abstract provided.

The Right To Share: Affording Americans Meaningful Control Over Their Data, Kevin Frazier

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

Americans today face unprecedented opportunities to leverage their personal data for health, education, and economic benefit; yet state and federal privacy laws increasingly restrict their ability to do so. This Article argues that the prevailing regulatory paradigm—rooted in paternalism, behavioral assumptions, and a deep distrust of both firms and individuals— has produced a system that paradoxically denies people meaningful control over their own information. As artificial intelligence tools grow more capable, the inability of individuals to share data freely threatens to entrench inequities, concentrate access to high-quality AI systems among the wealthy, and accelerate the formation of an “AI abyss” …

From Data To Decisions: Why Ai Inferences Should Count As ‘Effects’ Under The Fourth Amendment, Susan Tanner

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

This Article argues that AI-driven microtargeting, enabled by large-scale data brokerage and increasingly acquired by government actors, creates a dual constitutional problem. First, it undermines Fourth Amendment protections through what has become known as the ‘data broker loophole.’ Second, it amplifies inequality and civic distortion by segmenting political information flows in ways that evade traditional constitutional checks and statutory privacy regimes. Building on Carpenter v. United States, Riley v. California, and United States v. Jones, this Article proposes a doctrinal framework that treats government acquisition of granular behavioral datasets and model outputs as ‘searches,’ even when intermediated by private actors, …

Dysfunctional Leadership As A Dynamic And Relational Process, Rory E. Kuhn, S. Burak Ozkum

Faculty Publications – Psychology

First paragraph in lieu of abstract:

The focal article by Ducheyne and De Fruyt (2026) calls for a clear conceptual distinction between toxic and incompetent leadership, proposing that these categories can guide research and practice by reducing ambiguity. Although we agree that this differentiation offers useful conceptual clarity, we contend that it becomes unstable in its application. Dysfunctional leadership unfolds through both temporal fluctuation in leader behavior and relational variation in follower appraisal. These intertwined processes suggest that the same leader may appear toxic in one moment and merely incompetent in another, depending on shifting behavioral cues and the relational …

The Civil Justice Business, J. Maria Glover

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Our civil justice system rests on foundational commitments: to make rights real for those the law protects, whatever their station; to hold wrongdoers accountable, whatever their power; and to deter misconduct in a system that depends heavily on private enforcement. We put great faith in these values.

Civil justice, for all its lofty goals, is also a business. Attorneys and liability insurers have long held economic stakes in litigation, bounded by their own professional and regulatory norms. Now, a new litigation finance industry has arisen: outside investors supply equity capital—divorced from legal representation and liability management—and take returns directly from …

Influence Of A Structured Strength Program On Sport-Related Outcomes In Female Lacrosse Players, Taylor R. Howard

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Per the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), approximately 30,000 individuals participate in collegiate lacrosse in the United States, roughly 13,000 being women. Participation beyond the NCAA has increased substantially in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA), the Women’s Club Lacrosse Association (WCLA), and high school programs nationwide.  As women’s lacrosse continues to grow, strength and conditioning programs at the collegiate level have become pervasive to enhance athletic performance. However, limited research exists examining the impact of strength training on physical performance in women’s lacrosse.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the …

Possible Reconsideration To The Library Of Congress Classification System’S Liberal Placements Of African American Psychology And African American Social Science, Eddie Hughes

Southern University and A&M College: John B. Cade Library Publications

The Library of Congress Classification (LCC), developed by Herbert Putnam in 1897, remains the predominant system for organizing materials in U.S. academic libraries. By integrating innovations with earlier classification systems by Charles Cutter and Melvil Dewey, the LCC divides human knowledge into 21 classes, each represented by alphabetic codes. While Psychology is classified under BF and social sciences under HQ, materials on African American Psychology and African American Social Science are primarily cataloged under Class E—History of America—specifically E185.625 and E185.86. This placement raises critical questions about the appropriateness of categorizing these subjects as historical rather than disciplinary. Given African …

Enhancing Patient Safety And Team Communication Via Standardized Unit Handoff Tools In Inpatient Rehabilitation, Julia Rae Before

Master's Theses and Capstones

Abstract

Background: Interdisciplinary safety huddles in healthcare are used to facilitate staff communication, voice patient safety concerns and identify high acuity patients, as well as identify current unit issues that need resolution. Using characteristics of safety huddles, revising patient report sheets to include pertinent safety information often shared during huddles may lead to an increase in staff perception of communication as well as awareness to patient safety concerns. Within an in-patient rehabilitation hospital, anonymous staff reports indicated dissatisfaction with interprofessional communication and microsystem data revealed increased events of adverse patient outcomes and safety concerns. Baseline data indicated inconsistent patient handoff …

A Patient-Centered Approach To Improving Patient And Family Education On Perioperative Processes To Reduce Anxiety: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Ashley Lauren Doherty

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Perioperative anxiety is common among surgical patients and their family members. Anxiety may be increased by uncertainty and limited understanding of the surgical experience. Improving perioperative education may enhance understanding, reduce anxiety, and support a more patient and family centered surgical experience.

Local Problem: A Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) identified knowledge gaps in patient and family education about the perioperative process. The existing waiting room bulletin board was outdated and provided limited information. PACU nurses observed anxiety-related behaviors and confusion among patients and family members about the perioperative process. Patient satisfaction surveys routinely collected by the hospital also demonstrated …

Improving Operating Room First-Case On-Time Starts And Reducing Turnover Times: A Quality Improvement Project, Ashley Cote

Master's Theses and Capstones

Abstract

Background: Delays in first case on-time starts (FCOTS) contribute to decreased operating room (OR) efficiency, increased healthcare costs, workflow disruptions, and reduced staff and patient satisfaction. Evidence suggests that standardized workflows, improved communication, and Lean Six Sigma methodologies can improve perioperative efficiency and reduce delays.

Local Problem: Baseline data from a local OR microsystem demonstrated an FCOTS rate of 77%, below the organizational benchmark of 80%. Root cause analysis identified inconsistent preoperative workflows, communication gaps, and variable staff adherence to standardized processes as primary contributors to delayed first-case starts.

Methods: A quality improvement project utilizing the Define, Measure, Analyze, …

Improving Nurse Well-Being And Patient Safety Through A Structured Break Buddy System: A Quality Improvement Project, Elizabeth Harrington

Master's Theses and Capstones

Abstract

Background: Nursing burnout has become an increasing concern due to heavy workloads, staffing shortages, and the inability of nurses to consistently take uninterrupted rest breaks during their shifts. Missed breaks contribute to fatigue, emotional exhaustion, decreased job satisfaction, and an increased risk of patient safety events. Evidence suggests that structured break interventions may improve opportunities for recovery during the workday.

Methods: A quality improvement (QI) project was conducted on a respiratory care unit at a midsized hospital in central New Hampshire using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework. A microsystem assessment identified inconsistent break-taking as a significant gap. A five-question anonymous …

Introducing Education For Sensory Approaches In Mental Health-Related Emergency Department Visits: A Quality Improvement Project To Enhance Patient-Centered Care, Jesse O'Neill

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Barriers to specialty care access have resulted in emergency departments (ED) operating as temporary psychiatric hold facilities for their communities. Patients boarding in the ED are demonstrated to use a disproportionate percentage of facility resources with minimal benefit to the patient. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement identifies the impact of the healthcare environment on patient outcomes and suggests staff training to foster trauma-informed practice culture (Schall et al., 2020).

Local Problem: High-stress healthcare environments can escalate maladaptive patient behaviors and the use of restrictive interventions. Traditional use of restrictive interventions lacks supportive evidence and contradicts person-centered care goals (Molloy …

Making Sense Of Cuba's National Literacy Campaign: A Reflexive Study Of Lra Delegates’ Engagement With The Museo De La Alfabetización, Erin Quast, Brooke Ward Taira, Deborah M. Sanchez, Grace Pigozzi, Marco Bravo, Dorothy Shapland Rodriguez, Crystal N. Wise

Faculty Publications - College of Education

In December 2024, as part of the Literacy Research Association (LRA) Advancing Reading and Literacy Education Delegation to Cuba, delegates visited the Museo de la Alfabetización in Havana, which documents the 1961 Cuban Literacy Campaign. This collaborative reflexive self-study examines how delegates—literacy scholars and educators—collectively interpreted and negotiated national literacy narratives through engagement with the museum. Data sources included a transcript of a post-visit critical conversation, individual reflexive memos, and artifacts gathered during the museum visit. Iterative thematic analysis identified four sensemaking processes: shifting from pedagogy to shared purpose; holding inspiration and discomfort together; questioning narrative ownership and erasure; and …

Supporting The Cognitive, Emotional, Social, And Physical Development Of Adolescent Students Through Dance, Anne C. Holdren

Faculty Publications - College of Education

The transition to middle school during early adolescence presents a range of challenges for students, which can negatively impact both academic performance and overall development. Involvement in dance and incorporating dance into the middle school curriculum can provide opportunities for academic, emotional, social, and physical growth and success. Through dance, adolescent learners adapt to new ways of acquiring skills and new pedagogical approaches for learning and development. Dance offers students from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to build community and work toward a common goal. Dance is a universal art form that transcends cultural boundaries, providing a rich platform for self-expression …